UN Analysis Final.pdf - United Nations in Cambodia

Cambodia also has a national policy on migration. Contained in the Sub-decree 57 on Sending Khmer Migrants
to Work Abroad, this policy document provides guidelines to recruitment agencies on how to recruit and
send Cambodians for overseas work. Only 5 out of 22 articles, however, explicitly or implicitly refer to
the worker, reflecting broad provisions that are open to interpretation and amount to little protection for
employees (Lee, n.d.).
3.2.1 GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES’ YOUTH-RELATED POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES
A. Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport
MoEYS takes the lead in fulfilling the Government’s Education for All (EFA) National Plan 2003-
2015 “to ensure that all Cambodia’s children, youth and adults have equitable access to
formal and non-formal basic education” (MoEYS 2002). EFA has six core goals, representing
strategies that seek to address gender and poverty-linked disparities, (MoEYS 2003a):
Ensure that, by 2015, all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and
those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete free and compulsory
primary education of good quality.
Ensure that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable
access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes.
Achieve a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women,
and equitable access to basic continuing education for all adults.
Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2015, with a focus on
ensuring girls full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.
Expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the
most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
Improve all aspects of the quality of education and ensure the excellence of all, so that
recognised and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy,
numeracy and essential life skills.
MoEYS’ Education Strategic Plan (ESP) and Education Sector Support Programme (ESSP) support
the implementation of the EFA. Policy objectives of the medium term ESP/ ESSP focus on assuring
equitable access to basic and post basic education; enabling quality and efficiency improvement; and
capacity building for decentralisation. The ESP aims at developing an inclusive, easily accessible, and
high quality service that is available to all, as a means of enabling economic growth, improved
employment prospects and income-generating opportunities. It also views education as necessary
to realising improved family health and nutrition, and family planning. The ESSP, on the other hand
prioritises programme strategies and activities focused on the long-term goal of achieving Education
for All by 2015 (MoEYS, 2003b), particularly in reaching equitable access to nine years of quality basic
education by 2010 and in responding to critical capacity building needs. A basic principle it adopts is
that programmes are planned and implemented through governmental and ministry systems to
strengthen appropriate MoEYS directorates and departments at central and provincial levels.
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The Labour Law passed in October 1998, mainly provides for a standard legal working week of 48 hours, not to exceed eight hours per day.
It also stipulates time-and-a-half for overtime, and double time if overtime occurs at night, on Sunday, or on a holiday.
The minimum allowable age for a salaried position is set at 15 years or at 18 years for anyone engaged in work that may be hazardous,
unhealthy, or unsafe.
Situation Analysis of Youth in Cambodia
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